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Tours

1. UNM History through Trees - Tour B

   Stops

   1. UNM History through Trees - Tour B Start

      Stop 1: Start

      Stop 2: Austrian Pine (Pinus nigra)

      Stop 3: Western Catalpa (Catalpa speciosa)

      Stop 4: Arizona Cypress (Cupressus arizonica)

      Stop 5: Fremont's Cottonwood (Populus fremontii)

      Stop 6: Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa)

      Stop 7: Deodar Cedar (Cedrus deodara)

      Stop 8: Velvet Ash (Fraxinus velutina 'Modesto')

      Stop 9: Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa)

      Stop 10: Urbanite Ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica 'Urbanite')

      Stop 11: Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumila)

      Stop 12: Alligator Juniper (Juniperus deppeana)

      Stop 13: Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumila)

      Stop 14: Fremont's Cottonwood (Populus fremontii)

      Stop 15: Western Catalpa (Catalpa speciosa)

   2. Austrian Pine

      Common Name: Austrian Pine

      Botanic Name: Pinus nigra

       

      Smith Plaza, completed in 1972 and located just outside Zimmerman Library’s south entrance, is a 3.3-acre site that has served as UNM’s central paved gathering space since 1973. As the most heavily used pedestrian space on campus, it hosts numerous student life functions. American landscape architect Garrett Eckbo transformed this space from a grassy area intersected with pathways to the hardscape it is today in part because of the continuous pedestrian traffic that it had to accommodate. The architectural critic, Bainbridge Bunting, noted that its human scale and variations in elevation, paving, and plantings made it a fine example of public space. This type of landscaping is, according to Will Moses, reminiscent of the hard-packed, earthen plazas found in early Spanish and Pueblo villages and thus complements UNM’s architectural style. Smith Plaza connects Cornell Mall with the Scholes Hall Heritage Zone. In the original Garrett Eckbo design, it was intended to serve as the central point of the campus (Gugliotta, 2006).

       

      Pland Collaborative (formerly MRWM) was part of a team chosen to develop renovations for Smith Plaza, which were completed in 2018. The University of New Mexico’s Smith Plaza Renovation activated the heart of campus by engaging students, faculty, and the community, and provided a welcoming outdoor “great room.” In addition to poor accessibility and deteriorating infrastructure, the plaza was inhospitable to daily use due to lack of shade and amenities. Pland led a collaborative team of landscape architects and architects to develop a design that enhances the space for both academic and social activities, expands opportunities for events, and dramatically improves accessibility. The design replaced a vast, exposed brick plaza with outdoor rooms, providing shade and seating for individuals and groups, a performance space and moveable furniture (Pland, 2018).

       

      References:

      Pland, UNM Smith Plaza/Union Square Renovation, n.d., https://plandcollab.com/project/view/unm-smith-plaza-union-square-renovation

       

      Terry Gugliotta, PI, “Campus Heritage Preservation Survey: The University of New Mexico,” (December 2006), https://historicpreservation.unm.edu/preservation-plan/historic-preservation-plan.pdf

   3. Western Catalpa

      Common Name: Western Catalpa

      Botanic Name: Catalpa speciosa

       

      Every December, 14,000 luminarias, hot posole, and Christmas carols unite the University of New Mexico campus. Beginning in the 1930s, the Hanging of the Greens is UNM's oldest tradition that is still celebrated annually. The senior student honor society Mortar Board plans the event. Student organizations adorn campus with luminarias during the day, spelling out their Greek letters on the grass or lining the edges of monumental campus buildings. At night, the community of students, faculty, alumni, and Albuquerque residents assemble in front of the UNM Bookstore. Members of Mortar Board dress up as Christmas elves and join Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus. The group sings Christmas carols together as they march around campus. The university president and Lobo Louie and Lucy always make an appearance. When they reach University House, the Mortar Board elves leave a wreath at the President's front door. Carolers are greeted with free posole and hot chocolate at Hodgin Hall. In the spirit of giving, anyone can take the luminarias from campus the next morning to decorate their own homes. In 1934, Hanging of the Greens followed the annual "Christmas Sing" on the first Sunday of December. An honorary music sorority, "Pa-Yat-Yamo", later called Sigma Alpha Iota, led students in Christmas carols in the old stadium building. The next day, students walked around campus singing carols. Lena C. Clauve, the Dean of Women, began the tradition of a candle procession in the 1940s. The procession began visiting the President's house in 1942. Tom Popejoy Jr., son of longstanding President Popejoy, remembers singing with the students and sharing refreshments in University House. The Mortar Board, a women-only senior honor society at the time, took over of Hanging of the Greens in the 1950s. The carolers began at the furthest building from the SUB, the Kappa Alpha house, and visited every fraternity house and dorm. Students joined the group at any point, and the procession ended at the SUB. After the singing, students gathered in the SUB ballroom in front of the fireplace (now the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology). Mrs. Thompson, the SUB director, served candy and popcorn. Students of Mortar Board decorated the SUB with greenery cut from the Sandia Mountains. Dean Clauve asked the UNM groundskeepers to make a tin wreath that students filled with the greenery. The wreath hung above the Student Union fireplace.

       

      Hanging of the Greens changed from being a candlelight procession to a luminaria walk in the early 1970s. In the late 70s, a lack of leadership lost the tradition until 1980, when Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed service fraternity, helped Mortar Board revive Hanging of the Greens. Since then, it has been celebrated every year and draws thousands of people to the University of New Mexico to stroll among the historic campus buildings illuminated by thousands of luminarias.

       

      Reference:

      Sophia Fletcher, “Hanging of the Greens,” in UNM Over the Years: People, Places, and Events, (n.d.), https://timeline.unm.edu/item/hanging-of-the-greens.html

   4. Arizona Cypress

      Common Name: Arizona Cypress

      Botanic Name: Cupressus arizonica

       

      To meet the demands for faculty housing caused not only by a growing University, but also a general housing shortage in the City of Albuquerque, UNM constructed a number of modest one-story houses along Las Lomas Boulevard (Gugliotta, 2006). The University Club, along with other small houses on the street that have been converted to offices and other uses, was one of these houses.

       

      Reference:

      Terry Gugliotta, PI, “Campus Heritage Preservation Survey: The University of New Mexico,” (December 2006), https://historicpreservation.unm.edu/preservation-plan/historic-preservation-plan.pdf

   5. Fremont's Cottonwood

      Common Name: Fremont's Cottonwood

      Botanic Name: Populus fremontii

       

      The President’s House was designed by Miles Brittelle using classic features of the Spanish Pueblo Revival style. At the time of its construction it was located in the far northeast corner of the University; however, by the end of the decade the University had reoriented itself to the north of the traditional campus center, which put the President’s House adjacent to the new main library and the administration building. In 1955, John Gaw Meem designed a sunroom and enlarged the kitchen. In 1990, a two-car garage was added on the west side and a courtyard and a catering kitchen on the east side. Since its construction, the building has served as the residence for the President of UNM, but it is also used to host official University functions.

       

      Reference:

      Terry Gugliotta, PI, “Campus Heritage Preservation Survey: The University of New Mexico,” (December 2006), https://historicpreservation.unm.edu/preservation-plan/historic-preservation-plan.pdf

   6. Ponderosa Pine

      Common Name: Ponderosa Pine

      Botanic Name: Pinus ponderosa

       

      Architect John Gaw Meem, who would become the UNM campus architect for over two decades, designed Scholes Hall as his first commission on the campus. The site for the largest building at UNM to date became the north end of Terrace Street, a very prominent site that served as the major entry to the campus at the time. The building is “H” shaped, almost symmetrical in its massing, reflecting the Beaux Arts style that was still influential at the time. Reinforcing the symmetrical appearance are the two towers, resembling the Spanish Mission Church, St. Esteban del Rey, at Acoma Pueblo, the restoration of which had involved Meem a few years earlier. These towers flank the three-story central portion of the building. The wings are two stories tall. New features in the design included the grouping of windows on the east and west wings. The upper and ground floor window groups are separated by pre-cast concrete panels, capped by pre-cast concrete lintels and stylized viga ends. Pre-cast concrete was a new material on the campus. Also new to UNM architecture, the panels were decorated with Native American motifs. Other details of Spanish origin included wooden balconies, and the central portal. The sloped walls and buttresses are made of brick covered by stucco, intended to appear to be adobe. Buttresses flanking the grouped windows harken back to details of the renovated Hodgin Hall. This new, very important building on the campus was funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA), a program of President Roosevelt’s New Deal.

       

      Reference:

      Edith Cherry and James See, “UNM Central Campus” in The Guide to New Mexico Architecture, (August 2021), https://nmarchitectureguide.org/2021/08/06/unm-central-campus/

   7. Deodar Cedar

      Common Name: Deodar Cedar

      Botanic Name: Cedrus deodara

       

      Scholes Hall was the first building designed for UNM by master architect John Gaw Meem, and was planned as the focal point of the campus at the axis of Terrace and Ash Streets. Meem designed a bilaterally asymmetrical façade to reflect this new formal axiality. Scholes Hall was funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA) and was originally designed to house administration offices, classrooms, science laboratories, and the Anthropology Museum. The laboratory facilities were removed in the early 1950s, and the museum was moved in 1961 into a new building addition at the old student union, which had been remodeled for the Anthropology Department. The exterior of the building has not been significantly altered, but some doors have been replaced and the concrete spandrels between the windows have been partially painted. In the mid-1960s, with the implementation of the Eckbo landscape plan, Terrace Street was abandoned and Ash Mall was built in front of the building. Although this changed the physical axiality of the street in relation to Scholes Hall, the visual axiality of Terrace Street has remained.

       

      Reference:

      Terry Gugliotta, PI, “Campus Heritage Preservation Survey: The University of New Mexico,” (December 2006), https://historicpreservation.unm.edu/preservation-plan/historic-preservation-plan.pdf

   8. Velvet Ash

      Common Name: Velvet Ash

      Botanic Name: Fraxinus velutina 'Modesto'

       

      The Clark Field Archive and Library, formerly the Department Library, was named in honor of Clark Field in 1966. The facility houses a collection of rare anthropological works as well as journals and various other items of interest to students of Anthropology. The recent renovation of the reading room and efforts to increase accessibility to the UNM community will provide a comfortable, historic space for students and faculty to study, meet, and hold classes. Collections are available for UNM students, faculty and staff use.

       

      Reference:

      UNM Anthropology, Clark Field Archive and Library, n.d., https://anthropology.unm.edu/research/clark-field-archive-and-library.html.

   9. Ponderosa Pine

      Common Name: Ponderosa Pine

      Botanic Name: Pinus ponderosa

       

      The 1962 Alumni Memorial Chapel is the epitome of the Spanish Pueblo Revival style applied in a pure way to a new building whose function and scale readily accommodated that style. Designed by Holien and Buckley, the basic design recalls many early New Mexican mission churches. On the exterior, the soft corners, the buttressed walls, the multi-paned windows, and wooden balcony illustrate the characteristics of the original Spanish Pueblo Revival style. On the interior, the decorated wooden beams and corbels, altarpiece (designed by John Tatschl and added in 1983), and the east-facing clerestory, provides morning sunlight on the altar. This building can be considered the culmination of the adherence to the Spanish Pueblo Revival style on the UNM campus.

       

      Reference:

      Edith Cherry and James See, “UNM Central Campus” in The Guide to New Mexico Architecture, (August 2021), https://nmarchitectureguide.org/2021/08/06/unm-central-campus/

   10. Urbanite Ash

       Common Name: Urbanite Ash

       Botanic Name: Fraxinus pennsylvanica 'Urbanite'

        

       This is one of four original buildings designed by John Gaw Meem in 1936-37 as the university expanded under President James Zimmerman. Originally designed as the Student Union Building, it was funded by students, alumni and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). By 1947, John Gaw Meem had designed an enclosure for the original U-shaped courtyard on the building's northwest corner. Faculty offices were added in 1959 when the Anthropology Department moved into the building. In 1961 an addition to the south side of the building was constructed to house the Anthropology Museum, and in 1973 the museum was expanded and a two-story addition was completed to house additional faculty offices. Although there has been a great deal of architectural change through these modifications, portions of the original building retain a high degree of integrity and some significant original interior features. The building also anchors the west end of a significant cultural landscape, Ash Mall, and forms the western boundary of the Scholes Heritage Zone.

        

       Reference:

       Terry Gugliotta, PI, “Campus Heritage Preservation Survey: The University of New Mexico,” (December 2006), https://historicpreservation.unm.edu/preservation-plan/historic-preservation-plan.pdf

   11. Siberian Elm

       Common Name: Siberian Elm

       Botanic Name: Ulmus pumila

        

       The entrance to Bandelier Hall West was originally open to the elements; however, it was infilled shortly after construction due to blowing dust and cold temperatures experienced in the spaces located above the entryway. In 1972, two cube-like rooms were added to the roof to enclose the HVAC system and in the 1990s the original wood windows were replaced with metal, false divided lite units. Despite these changes, this building has retained its overall architectural character.

        

       Reference:

       Terry Gugliotta, PI, “Campus Heritage Preservation Survey: The University of New Mexico,” (December 2006), https://historicpreservation.unm.edu/preservation-plan/historic-preservation-plan.pdf

   12. Alligator Juniper

       Common Name: Alligator Juniper

       Botanic Name: Juniperus deppeana

        

       Bandelier Hall West was constructed as a men’s dormitory and is one of the four original John Gaw Meem-designed buildings in the northwest quadrant of campus. The building was designed with a central Zaguan-style entryway flanked by decorative buttresses, surmounted by a window with a decoratively carved wood “nicho” frame, and a curvilinear Mission-inspired parapet.

        

       Reference:

       Terry Gugliotta, PI, “Campus Heritage Preservation Survey: The University of New Mexico,” (December 2006), https://historicpreservation.unm.edu/preservation-plan/historic-preservation-plan.pdf

   13. Siberian Elm

       Common Name: Siberian Elm

       Botanic Name: Ulmus pumila

        

       Bandelier Hall East (1930) was originally constructed as a dining hall. The building was sited in what was then the center of campus (Terrace & Ash) to facilitate access by students. Its location also corresponded with the shift in the campus’s layout in the mid-1930s from the corner of Central and University to the north and east by the alignment of Scholes Hall, the Anthropology Building (at the time, the Student Union), and Zimmerman Library. The dining hall was located at the north end of Terrace Street. Bandelier East has been used as a bookstore, offices, language laboratories, the registration center, and currently houses classrooms and laboratories for the Geography & Environmental Studies Department.

        

       Reference:

       Terry Gugliotta, PI, “Campus Heritage Preservation Survey: The University of New Mexico,” (December 2006), https://historicpreservation.unm.edu/preservation-plan/historic-preservation-plan.pdf

   14. Fremont's Cottonwood

       Common Name: Fremont's Cottonwood

       Botanic Name: Populus fremontii

       Centennial Science and Engineering Library is located underground and was constructed as part of the larger engineering complex built during the mid-1980s. The historic 1917 Chemistry Building was renovated to accommodate an engineering computer pod.

   15. Western Catalpa

       Common Name: Western Catalpa

       Botanic Name: Catalpa speciosa

        

       By 1975, a pond, complete with a waterfall and pedestrian bridge was to be constructed between Zimmerman Library and Scholes Hall. Although there were howls of protest over the loss of a parking lot so close to these facilities, and the fact that this new landscape feature would close access from Yale Boulevard to the classrooms in Mitchell Hall, the “Duck Pond” (as it has been fondly named) has become an integral part of the campus. A historic preservation casualty of the project was the demolition of another of the campus’s early buildings, Yatoka Hall, constructed as a men’s dormitory in 1928. The Duck Pond underwent renovation that was completed in 2025 to preserve the pond’s character while upgrading its infrastructure, sustainability, and accessibility for future generations.

        

       Reference:

       Terry Gugliotta, PI, “Campus Heritage Preservation Survey: The University of New Mexico,” (December 2006), https://historicpreservation.unm.edu/preservation-plan/historic-preservation-plan.pdf